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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.
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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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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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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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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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Positivity, usually a word that exudes from my spirit as though it were limitless. I have been through trauma before, through times that are more d...
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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
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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".
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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
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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.
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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.
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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."
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"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)
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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.
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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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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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DIET MOUNTAIN DEW
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Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Makeup and hair products
Memory Foam Mattress Pad
Mexican Vanilla
Popcorn and Popcorn Popper
Slap Your Mama
Sunflower Seeds
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Tortilla press
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The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.
Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.
In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.
India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.
Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.
But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?
Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.
If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.
I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.
I want more variation in masturbation
I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.
If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.
What is sex toys for Indian?
Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.
It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.
They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.
Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.
The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.
It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.
In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.
Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.
In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.
Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.
Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.
But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.
More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.
Sextoy situation in India
Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.
In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.
Mumbai
Kolkata
Bangalore
Delhi
Chennai
Hyderabad
These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.
In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.
If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.
If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.
What are Sextoys for beginner?
Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.
Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.
I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.
I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.
If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.
Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.
Advantages of using sextoy for Indians
There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians
You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.
Can have stimulating sex
Can develop new sexual zones
If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.
However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.
You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.
Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.
There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.
This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.
When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.
It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).
For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles
[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...
Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.
Sextoy for beginner men in India
So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.
For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!
The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men
Masturbator
Cock rings
Love Doll
Sex Lubricants
Toys for the prostate
Lets check each one in detail.
Masturbator
The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.
It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.
Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.
They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)
Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.
Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !
Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018
Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.
If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here
Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...
[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...
Cock Ring
A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.
It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.
It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.
In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.
Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.
It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.
Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.
Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.
Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.
You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.
[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...
Love Doll
Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.
There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.
Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.
The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.
You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.
There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.
You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.
If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here
Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...
Sex lubricants
Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.
It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.
Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.
There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.
Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.
If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.
What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...
Toys for the Prostate
Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.
The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.
Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.
Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.
What is the prostate?
The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.
You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.
By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.
Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)
The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.
Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.
sextoy for beinner women in India
The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.
The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.
Vibrator.
Dildo
Electric Masserger
Lets check out what each one is in detail.
If you want to check out womens toys, click here.
[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...
Vibrators
A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.
Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.
It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.
Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.
For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.
Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.
Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.
This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.
Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.
When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.
Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...
Dildo
A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.
It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.
A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.
They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.
It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.
A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.
Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.
For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.
This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.
To learn more about dildo, please click here.
What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...
Electric Masserger
A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.
It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.
Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.
Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.
It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.
For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.
It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.
If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?
To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.
What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...
How to choose a sextoy for Indian
Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.
Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)?
Does the size fit you (your partner)?
Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?
Price range
First of all, the choice of size is quite important.
Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.
For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.
Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.
Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.
If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.
Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.
Finally, there is the price range.
The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.
Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.
Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?
I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.
For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.
If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.
How to buy sextoys in India
The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.
For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.
Sextoy is one of them.
Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.
SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.
They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.
Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.
To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.
ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.
Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.
Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.
Cautions for Indians using sextoy
When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind
Keep sex toys clean
Watch out for electrical leakage
Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy
As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.
Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.
It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.
In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.
Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.
If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.
You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.
Summary
What did you think?
In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.
The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.
As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.
However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.
If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?
Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.
I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
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.
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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."
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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.
Web Toolbar by Wibiya
Web Toolbar by Wibiya
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.
2005 ..
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...
AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank
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AFTER 5 YEARS, WE'RE STILL LIED TO ABOUT IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Next week is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And it is likely that sometime in the next couple of weeks, the 4,000th American soldier will die in Iraq. [MORE] Momentum
OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World
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BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance
A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum
OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008
HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World
DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground
BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum
WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat
THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground
FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat
THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World
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FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance
YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum
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OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies:
WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World
DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama
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TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day
THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum
THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies
AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance
CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida
SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World
PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground
VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day
REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies
FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum
SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies
ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008
AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World
STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special
SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum
TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground
IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008
CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies
WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto
DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance
I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE]
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
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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.
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"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.
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"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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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?
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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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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.'
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'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.
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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...
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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
Check out East Niagara Post videos on YouTube, Vine and Periscope.
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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Have an interest in what youre writing about
Dont go overboard, but youll be able to let your passion for your subject show.
If theres one thing bound to inject interest into your writing, its being fascinated by what youre writing about. Passion for a subject matter comes across naturally in your essay, typically making it more lively and fascinating and infusing an infectious enthusiasm into your words within the same way that its easy to talk knowledgeably to someone about something you discover fascinating.
Include fascinating details
Another factor that may make an essay boring maybe a dry material. Some topic areas are naturally dry, and it falls to you to form the article more interesting through your written style and by trying to seek out fascinating snippets of knowledge to incorporate, which will liven it up a small amount and make the data easier to relate to. A way of doing this with a dry subject is to create what youre talking about that seems relevant to the critical world, as this is often easier for the reader to relate to.
Emulate the fashion of writers you discover interesting
When you read lots, you subconsciously start emulating the fashion of the writers you have read. Reading benefits you a lot, as this exposes you to a spread of designs, and youll start to require the characteristics of these you discover interesting to read.
Borrow some creative writing techniques
Theres a limit to the quantity of actual story-telling youll do when youre writing an essay; in the end, essays should be objective, factual and balanced, which doesnt, initially glance, feel considerably like story-telling. However, youll apply a number of the principles of story-telling to create your writing more interesting.
consider your own opinion
Take the time to figure out what its that you think instead of regurgitating the opinions of others.
Cut the waffle
Rambling on and on is dull and almost bound to lose the interest of your reader. Youre in danger of waffling if youre not completely clear about what you wish to mention or havent thought carefully about how youre visiting structure your argument. Doing all your research correctly and writing an essay plan before you begin will help prevent this problem.
Editing is a vital part of the essay-writing process, so edit the waffle once youve done a primary draft. Read through your essay objectively and eliminate the bits that arent relevant to the argument or labor the purpose.
employing a thesaurus isnt always a decent thing
Avoid using unfamiliar words in an essay; theres too great a likelihood that youre misusing them.
You may think that employing a thesaurus to seek out more complicated words will make your writing more exciting or sound more academic, but using overly high-brow language can have the incorrect effect.
Avoid repetitive phrasing
Please avoid using the identical phrase structure again and again: its a recipe for dullness! Instead, use a variety of syntax that demonstrates your writing capabilities and makes your writing more interesting. Mix simple, compound, and complicated sentences to avoid your paper becoming predictable.
Use some figurative language
Using analogies with nature can often make concepts more accessible for readers to know.
As weve already seen, its easy to finish up rambling when youre explaining complex concepts mainly after you dont know it yourself. One way of forcing yourself to think about a couple of pictures, present it more simply and engagingly is to form figurative language. This implies explaining something by comparing it with something else, as in an analogy.
Employ rhetorical questions
Anticipate the questions your reader might ask.
One of the ways ancient orators held the eye of their audiences and increased the dramatic effect of their speeches was by using the statement. A decent place to use a statement is at the top of a paragraph, to steer into the following one, or at the start of a replacement section to introduce a brand new area for exploration.
Proofread
Finally, you may write the top interesting essay an instructor has ever read. Still, youll undermine your good work if its plagued by errors, which distract the reader from the particular content and can probably annoy them.
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.
Sputnik
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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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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.
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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.
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"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!
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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
Ugga Mugga Bakery
High South Events
HSEP vendors receive a special rate for booth reservations, although all vendors are invited and encouraged to participate whether theyre members or not.
If youre a local vendor and youre interested in joining the HSEP association, check out highsouthevents.com or give them a call at 828-919-6750.
Follow HSEP on Facebook for more information on the expo.
Check out these photos from last years expo:
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Pocket
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.
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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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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.
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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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